Half of Americans Cannot Save Money for Retirement

How hard is it to save for a secure retirement? Nearly half of Americans in a recent survey said it is not possible for a middle-income family to save for retirement. Almost 25% said they are not currently saving anything for their retirement.

Among millennials ages 18 through 29, 30% are saving nothing. The good news is that 33% of millennials are saving something through a 401(k) plan. The data come from a survey conducted by financial planning service Country Financial.

Of the 2,168 adult survey respondents who are not retired, more than 50% of those earning less than $30,000 a year are saving nothing. Nearly 20% of those earning between $30,000 and $50,000 are saving nothing, and more than 10% of those earning up to $100,000 are saving nothing. Nearly 15% aren't sure whether or not they are saving anything.

When asked what decision they have made about retirement savings that they most regret, about 47% say not starting to save early enough. Interestingly, more than half of those between the ages of 40 and 49 say this, the largest proportion of any age group. Nearly 40% of those aged 65 and older say they didn't start saving early enough.

One last data point: Of the 45% of those surveyed who do have a 401(k), almost one-third do not know how their contributions are being invested.